• Commuter Relief - The Purple Line offers a convenient way to avoid congestion for people who commute to jobs in New Carrollton, College Park, Silver Spring, and Bethesda, and who are tired of sitting in Beltway traffic every morning. MTA estimates of 60,000 to 68,000 riders per weekday are well over the average for existing and proposed light rail projects in the United States.

• Economic Development - The Purple Line supports Prince George’s County’s technology-based economic development strategy by linking the University of Maryland to other activity centers.

• Community Revitalization - The Purple Line will bring new energy to New Carrollton, Riverdale Park, College Park and Langley Park, providing an attractive and vibrant alternative to sprawl development. It will support the transit-oriented East-Campus redevelopment in College Park as well as efforts to make New Carrollton and other centers along its path more pedestrian-friendly.

• Cost - The Purple Line's cost of $1.1 to 1.7 billion can be funded by a partnership between county, state and federal governments. MTA data released in fall, 2007 supports the project’s cost-effectiveness under the standards of the Federal Transit Administration.

• Fairness – The Purple Line will support low and moderate income residents of communities along its path, while also providing a good transportation alternative for wealthier people who just don’t want to drive. Many current bus commuters would have more than an extra hour every day to spend with their families because of shorter commuting time with the Purple Line

• Neighborhoods and Pedestrian Safety - Access to the Purple Line will be primarily on foot, by bus or connecting rail. The Purple Line will come with new crosswalks, sidewalks and trails. Neighborhoods along the Purple Line will be revitalized as people seek housing that is close to Purple Line stops.

• Education - The Purple Line will provide direct service to the University of Maryland, College Park, so students, employees, and Terps fans will have better access to the world-class sports, cultural, and educational resources. Without improved transit, the university's growth as a top notch institution could be choked off by traffic congestion. A Purple Line extension to Largo and Prince George’s Community College is possible in the future.

• Livability - The quality of life in all our inner suburban communities can only be preserved if we provide transit alternatives for our citizens. Georgetown rejected Metro 30 years ago and now regrets its opposition. Ironically, the District’s recommended solution is a cross-city light rail transit line.

• Timing – The time has come to build the Purple Line which has an excellent chance of competing for federal New Starts funding. We must accelerate the planning and design process to maintain the project’s momentum and come up with the best alignment for the project. For more information or to volunteer to help, contact us at:

Purple Line Now! - P.O. Box 7074 - Silver Spring, MD 20907-7074

Additional Purple Information